Meet Julia Forsberg

Being chosen as a finalist for Bonnier Sales Awards is a big deal. So says Julia Forsberg, key account manager at Bonnier Publications in Sweden. "It's an honor to be in such great company - and extremely exciting of course!" Forsberg says.

Nominated in the category Rookie of the Year, Forsberg has been at Bonnier Publications only since May 1, 2010. But she's a real fan of her co-workers and boss, not to mention the magazines she sells advertising for. "The best thing about my job is doing business and making people happy at the same time. And I'm proud to work with the titles I've got - Illustrerad Vetenskap (Science Illustrated), iForm (In Shape) and National Geographic have long been my absolutely favorite magazines," she says. "Along with that, of course, is the incredible sense of community in our work group."

The toughest challenge is that even if the company is big in the Nordic countries, in Sweden Bonnier Publications is a small player - the company headquarters are in Copenhagen in fact. "But we still have some of Sweden's biggest magazines," Forsberg says. "So we have to do as much as possible be seen and heard, but with smaller resources. We try to work as effectively and creatively as we can with the marketing money we have."

Forsberg's nomination as a finalist means that she's good at what she does, of course. But what advice does she have for other sales representatives? "Keep your ear to the ground," she says. "Listen and think of your contacts more as partners than as customers. Work across boundaries - internally, by industry and by media - to optimize business."